Shakur Stevenson runs away with the vacant WBO featherweight title, dominating Jamel Herring en route to a 10th round stoppage. The victory is Shakur’s 11th consecutive win since losing back-to-back fights in April of last year. On Monday night, Stevenson would make it 12 wins without defeat as he captured his first world title via unanimous decision from two judges and one split decision from the third judge.
Shakur Stevenson captured the WBO World Boxing Organization featherweight championship on Saturday, defeating Jamel Herring via unanimous decision after 10 rounds.
2:00 a.m. ET
-
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger
ATLANTA, Ga. — Shakur Stevenson has clearly heard the criticism that he isn’t entertaining, aggressive, or harsh enough.
So Stevenson peered between the ropes at former champion Timothy Bradley, probably his biggest critic, knowing that the story might finally be put to rest.
Stevenson finally showed the type of ferocity that boxing fans had been waiting for from the ultra-talented fighter in a star-making performance.
On Saturday at State Farm Arena in the ESPN main event, he dominated Jamel Herring with a two-fisted thrashing to win the WBO 130-pound title through 10th-round TKO in an extremely one-sided victory.
“I wanted to have a good time and show off my talents, boxing, and strength. Tonight, I wanted to show everything “According to ESPN, Stevenson is the best boxer in the world at 130 pounds. “I want to be a sports sensation; I’m here to stay.”
Herring, a native of Newark, New Jersey, won all nine rounds on two cards, with one judge finding Herring in a single round. ESPN gave it a score of 90-81 for a shutout.
Stats on Punching
| Punches | Herring | Stevenson |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of landings | 87 | 164 |
| Total number of throws | 436 | 530 |
| Percent | 20% | 31% |
| Jabs had landed. | 46 | 65 |
| Jabs have been thrown. | 276 | 249 |
| Percent | 17% | 26% |
| The power has arrived. | 41 | 99 |
| Throwing of force | 160 | 281 |
| Percent | 26% | 35% |
| CompuBox provided this image. | ||
In Round 9, Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) opened up a terrible cut above Herring’s right eye, which bled heavily. The challenger, a former 126-pound champion, kept moving forward and increased the pressure in Round 10. The sharp, clean shots were almost always on target. At 1:30, the referee had had enough and stopped the fight. Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) challenged the decision of the referee, but he didn’t respond with a punch.
According to ESPN, Stevenson, who received a career-high $1.7 million, claimed, “I smelled blood.” “‘OK, I have to tackle the wound,’ I thought as I noticed he was bleeding. I was attempting to touch the wound in order to persuade the doctor to intervene.”
From the first bell, the conclusion was never in question. Stevenson had 164 blows against Herring’s 87, with 99 of them being power punches. Stevenson’s most recent performance, a decision win against the unheralded Jeremiah Nakathila in June, was a dramatic contrast.
But, in the face of his toughest competition yet, the Olympic silver medallist rose to the occasion and shown that he still has a lot more to offer. Stevenson outboxed, outfought, and flat-out bested Herring in a one-sided triumph.
Herring gingerly boxed from the back foot and ate blows in the opening few rounds, but Stevenson grabbed the counterpunching chances when Herring began to establish himself more.
Herring, who won a career-high $1.5 million, said, “I couldn’t be in that chess match with him, so I had to bite down and go ahead.” “He’s razor-sharp and deft. He has excellent hand-eye coordination. There are no justifications. Tonight, he was just the better guy.”
Herring praised Stevenson in a tweet later Saturday, writing, “He was the greater guy, and even when I felt I was in trouble, I did my utmost to keep moving ahead. I had no intention of quitting, but I wish Shakur all the best!”
Herring, a 35-year-old Long Island, New York native, was making his fourth defense of the junior lightweight championship he earned in December 2018 from Masayuki Ito. Herring, the No. 2 130-pounder on ESPN, had every reason to be confident going into the fight. After all, he had a career-best performance in April when he stopped former champion Carl Frampton in the sixth round in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
After the defeat, Frampton, who was nearing the end of his career, retired. Stevenson, on the other hand, is just getting started.
“There’s just one fight left,” Stevenson added, “and it’s the biggest fight in the division.” “Oscar [Valdez] can no longer duck. There’s nothing else to anticipate.”
Boxing, on the other hand, may have a new star on the horizon. The 135-pound class is stacked with quality and well-known fighters, and it’s one Stevenson intends to dominate in the foreseeable future. But first, there’s more work to be done at 130 pounds, where he already reigns supreme.
And he can do it without getting the dreaded “boring” label. He turns out to be rather cruel, revealing a new side of Stevenson that will come in handy as the rivalry heats up.
